ground zero

noun

1
: the point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs
2
: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change
broadly : center sense 2a
the party town that served as ground zero for those corporate … bashes Rich Eisen
3
: the very beginning : square one

Examples of ground zero in a Sentence

ground zero in the battle over immigration laws a city that was once ground zero for the insurance industry
Recent Examples on the Web Can Mnookin and her team bring it down to ground zero where some things work, and others don’t? Kathleen Gallagher, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024 Locals feel they were left out of the process Francis Gill and his husband, Danny Fontaine, live at ground zero of the removal process. The Arizona Republic, 16 Feb. 2024 Twitter — now called X — was briefly ground zero for comedy policing. Eric Spitznagel, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2024 Hamtramck, once known for its large Polish population, for decades been known as paczki ground zero. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 13 Feb. 2024 After doing some research with organizations in Northern California to learn best practices, her own street became ground zero, a pilot program with Matthias and Bonney doing the composting. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2023 One thing that didn’t change: Henrietta’s Table, the hotel’s main restaurant, ground zero for farm-to-table cooking in the U.S. Linda Laban, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2023 Despite Herc’s relatively low profile at the time, his party would retroactively be acknowledged as ground zero for the cultural movement that would later be known as hip-hop. John Morrison, SPIN, 13 Feb. 2024 Tinley Park Police chief Matt Walsh recalled going to New York with a group of other officers to assist at ground zero. Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground zero.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ground zero was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near ground zero

Cite this Entry

“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20zero. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ground zero

noun
1
: the site of a nuclear explosion
2
: the center of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change
3
: the very beginning : square one

More from Merriam-Webster on ground zero

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